The physical & mental repercussions of workplace accidents
Accidents occur in the workplace often and even an office-based role can be hazardous. These accidents can be damaging in many different ways and not just through injury to the individual (also this is a huge concern). In addition to suffering an injury and poten-tially missing time at work, a workplace injury can also take its toll mentally and even affect people’s performance when they do return to work.
Make It Right
This is outlined by the National Accident Helpline’s thoughtful campaign which is known as the ‘Make It Right Campaign”. This is a campaign designed to raise aware-ness surrounding the emotional and physical repercussions that an injury can have on both an individual and family and friends. These areas include:
- Mental health
- General health
- Lifestyle
- Personal relationships
- Working life
New Study
The Make It Right Campaign commissioned a new study which looked further into these areas and how an injury can take its toll in many different ways. The study ques-tioned over 1000 people and conducted in-depth interviews with healthcare profession-als which gave some fascinating and alarming insights into the short and long-term re-percussions of an injury.
Working Life
In terms of working life, it is clear that a workplace injury can have a big impact on an individual when they return to their job. 63% of respondents stated that they were con-cerned about returning to work after the accident and almost half stated that once they had returned to work the accident had a negative impact on their work. Additionally, 63% were worried about their performance and as much as 57% were concerned about losing their job due to a dip in performance.
Mental Health & Relationships
As a wider picture, 7 out of 10 people who had an accident claimed that they suffered from a mental health issue as a direct result of the accident. Additionally, over a third of respondents stated that the accident put a strain on relationships with friends and family.
Compensation
The study clearly shows that an accident can have huge repercussions in many areas of life, including the workplace. Those that were involved in an accident at work that was not their fault should not have to endure these difficulties and worry about their liveli-hood and financial situation - this is why it is so important to encourage people to seek compensation from specialists like the National Accident Helpline.
The Make It Right Campaign has revealed some shocking statistics about the repercus-sions that an accident at work can have on an individual in more ways than one. This campaign is doing a good job of raising awareness about the large issues that surround accidents and how they can continue to impair an individual long after their recovery but there is still a lot of work to be done.